Meysey George Dallas CLIVE

Service number 37641

Born: April 25th 1907
Died: May 1st 1943

Meysey Clive was the elder son of Lt.-Col. P. A. Clive, M.P., and his wife, Alice Muriel Dallas. He was a descendant of Clive of India. He was born in London. In 1911, the family were living at 21 Chester Street, S.W. and employed seven servants.

He was educated at Eton and matriculated in 1925. He graduated with a 4th in History in 1928.

Shortly after leaving Oxford, he joined the Grenadier Guards and was ADC to the Viceroy of India from 1931 until 1933. He resigned his commission on August 25th 1934. It is presumed that he returned to his estate, Whitfield in Herefordshire, until the outbreak of war. He had been active in the Territorial Army Yeomanry in Shropshire but resigned his commission in this and returned to the Grenadier Guards with the rank of Captain.

On December 30th 1939, he married Lady Mary Pakenham, sister of the 6th and 7th Earls of Longford. They had a son who followed his father to Eton and Christ Church, and a daughter. The Clives shared a passion for history and began putting together a book based on old letters and diaries which Meysey had found and had belonged to his great-grandmother, Caroline Clive.

Meysey was in the 2nd Battalion of the Grenadier Guards in the retreat from Dunkirk.

The 2nd Battalion’s War Diary gives an interesting insight in to the days following its return to England.

1940 June 5
The Battalion paraded and we endeavoured to check deficiencies of kit and make Nominal Rolls.
During the course of the morning Captain L.S. Starkey arrived, followed closely by Captain M.G.D. CLIVE, the Quartermaster and “B” Echelon.
1940 June 9
The Battalion under the Commanding Officer attended Church in Sandal Parish Church. In the afternoon the Commanding Officer and Captain M.G.D. Clive visited the possible billets for the Battalion at Bretton Park
1940 June 10
Captain M.G.D. Clive inspected possible Billets at Nostell Priory.
1940 June 12
Small parties of men were reporting every day from various Camps and Barracks throughout the country.
The following officers had by this time assembled at Wakefield: -
Lieutenant-Colonel A.H.S. ADAIR, M.C.;Major O.W.D. SMITH.;Major A.S.P. MURRAY; Major J.B. FORD;Captain L.S. STARKEY;Captain M.G.D. CLIVE
Lieutenant C.W. NORMAN-BARNETT;Lieutenant F.J.R.P. NEEDHAM
Lieutenant C.G. FORD;Lieutenant E.W.S. FORD;Lieutenant & Quartermaster G.F. TURNER, M.B.E., D.C.M.together with 415 Other Ranks.

A further 76 Other Ranks joined the Battalion between this date and the 22nd June, making in all a total of 11 Officers and 491 Other Ranks.

The statistics in the Commanding Officer’s possession at this time disclosed that the Battalion has suffered the following casualties: -
Killed:- Major W.R.J. ALSTON-ROBERTS-WEST
Killed:- Captain R.E. ABEL-SMITH
Killed:- Lieutenant H. REYNELL-PACK
Killed:- Lieutenant The DUKE of NORTHUMBERLAND
Killed:- 2/Lieutenant A.N. BOYD
Killed:- 2/Lieutenant P. BARING

Other Ranks Killed:- 40
Other Ranks Died of Wounds:- 2
Other Ranks Wounded and Evacuated to the UNITED KINGDOM:- 98
Other Ranks Prisoners of War:- 20

The Battalion took part in the North African Campaign in 1942 and 1943.

Major Meysey Clive was killed on May 1st 1943.

He is buried in the Medjez-al-Bab Cemetery in Tunisia. Plot 9. E. 12.

He is commemorated in the Royal Military Chapel, Sandhurst and his name is on the MCC Roll of Honour.

Lady Mary, like her mother before her, was left a widow with a large house and estate to look after. She brought up their two children, alone, in Rabbit Cottage, the head gardener's house on the estate, whilst the Canadian High Commission occupied the house. After the war, in her typically robust, no-nonsense way, she pulled down two Victorian wings of the house, returning it to its original Georgian proportions. She was close to her sister in law, Elizabeth Longford, and like many of the Pakenhams, was a writer. She died on March 19 2010 aged 102. Her son had died in 1999.